SAN FRANCISCO – February 2, 2012 –
Deus Ex game director and producer, and
Disney Epic Mickey creator Warren Spector will receive the
Lifetime Achievement Award at the 12
th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards (GDCAs) for his
contributions to the art and science of games. The Game Developers
Choice Awards are the leading peer-based video game industry awards
celebrating the industry's top games and developers.

With a career in games spanning nearly 30 years, Warren Spector
has earned a reputation in the industry as a seminal designer and a
champion for the proper execution of ideas in video games. His work
on the career-defining
Deus Ex took place while he was serving as a partner at
development company Ion Storm and running their Austin-based
office. Upon its release in 2000,
Deus Ex received wide critical and industry acclaim and in
2009 was named “Best PC Game of All Time” among a list
of 100 other titles in PC Gamer magazine.

In 2004 Spector left Ion Storm and the following year
established Austin-based video game development firm Junction
Point. Junction Point was acquired by Disney Interactive Studios in
2007. Immediately following, Spector began leading the design
of
DisneyEpic Mickey, which released in 2010 and marked his first
title as part of Disney Interactive Studios. The game
featured Spector’s hallmark style of choice and consequence
gaming, which he refers to as “Playstyle Matters,” and
was praised for its unique storyline, charming art design and
tribute it paid to 80 years of rich Disney history.

Since beginning his gaming career at Steve Jackson Games in
1983, Spector has played a key role when it comes to redefining
genres. As a producer and designer on titles like TSR, Inc.’s
Top Secret/S.I. and
Marvel Super Heroes, ORIGIN’s award-winning
Ultima game series, including
Ultima Worlds of Adventure: Martian Dreams,
Ultima VII: Serpent Isle and
Ultima Underworld, as well as Looking Glass
Technologies’ critically-acclaimed
System Shock, Spector demonstrated his ability to open up
new avenues in the role-playing arena and provide players with a
fresh gameplay experience.

The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes the career and
achievements of a developer who has made an indelible impact on the
craft of game development and games as a whole, and Warren Spector,
who has earned a sterling reputation as an innovator able to merge
the deep gameplay elements of multiple genres, stands as a shining
example of those principles.

“Warren, whose rarified, ‘big picture’
thinking and ideals have done a great deal for the games industry,
exemplifies the exact qualities that a Lifetime Achievement Award
recipient should possess,” said Meggan Scavio, general
manager of GDC Events at UBM TechWeb. “In presenting him with
this honor, we continue a tradition of highlighting individuals
whose work stands as a benchmark for the next generation of
developers.”

The 12
th Annual Game Developers Choice Awards Ceremony is
produced in association with the Game Developers Conference®
(GDC) and will take place on Wednesday, March 7, 2012 at 6:30 pm,
at the San Francisco Moscone Center. The ceremony is open to all
Game Developers Conference attendees.

The show will be held immediately following the Independent
Games Festival Awards, and for the third consecutive year, those
not attending GDC can watch both sets of awards show live online
via GameSpot.com, the official streaming media partner to the award
ceremonies.

For more information about the 12th Annual Game Developers
Choice Awards, please visit the official website at
http://www.gamechoiceawards.com. For information
about the 2012 Game Developers Conference, please visit the
official website at
http://www.gdconf.com.

About the UBM TechWeb Game Network

A core provider of essential information to the professional
game industry, the UBM TechWeb Game Network – formerly
known as the Think Services Game Group - offers market-defining
content, and drives community through its award winning lineup of
print, online, event and research products and services. These
include the Game Developers Conference®, the Webby
Award-winning Gamasutra.com and network of sites, the Game
Advertising Online ad network, the Game Developers Conference®
Online, the Game Developers Conference™ Europe, the Game
Developers Conference™ China, Game Developer Magazine, Game
Developer Research, the Game Career Seminars and
GameCareerGuide.com, the Independent Games Festival and Summit, and
the Game Developers Choice Awards. Visit:
www.jointhegamenetwork.com

About UBM TechWeb

UBM TechWeb, the global leader in technology media and
professional information, enables people and organizations to
harness the transformative power of technology. Through its three
core businesses – media solutions, marketing services and
paid content – UBM TechWeb produces the most respected and
consumed brands and media applications in the technology market.
More than 14.5 million business and technology professionals (CIOs
and IT managers, Web & Digital professionals, Software
Developers, Government decision makers, and Telecom providers)
actively engage in UBM TechWeb’s communities and information
resources monthly. UBM TechWeb brands includes: global face-to-face
events such as Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and Enterprise Connect;
award-winning online resources such as InformationWeek, Light
Reading, and Network Computing; and market-leading magazines
InformationWeek, Wall Street & Technology, and Advanced
Trading. UBM TechWeb is a UBM plc company, a global provider of
news distribution and specialist information services with a market
capitalization of more than $2.5 billion. Visit:
www.ubmtechweb.com

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